Going to reduce all the gains to what DWA says, 100-120 and try again.
Olivier, I hear what you are saying about that cam.
Bought it for my glider and it would probably be better suited to that with far less vibration and stuff going on.

What do the gains do, is it something to do with volume of input from the MC to the motors??
So too much input equals too much correction equals unstableness. Less gain equals smoother flight. This is sort of how autopilots work on boats.

I think, and I'll let other correct me if I'm wrong, the gain is how hard the Flight Controller (e.g. Naza) tries to compensate for tilting, altitude, drifting etc. So if its drifting left, it will compensate by going right. The higher the gain, the more power it will put into compensating, to much gain and it is over reacting, and you go the other way, then back and forth. To little gain and it doesn't stop the drift completely, or only slowly.

I've only experimented with remote gains on Pitch and Roll so far, and didn't see much effect, as it remained stable, but maybe the conditions weren't right to show up where it could be fine tuned.

Oli... I gotta say mate I love your Pilot! I was in stitches watching him flying your F450 and I had to show my wife and even she was in stitches...

Speaking of stiches, my wife saw me editing the video and th quad passing so close above me I had to duck and she slapped the back of my head and said something that could be translated into "you stupid moronic ass"

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliehorse

Going to reduce all the gains to what DWA says, 100-120 and try again.
Olivier, I hear what you are saying about that cam.
Bought it for my glider and it would probably be better suited to that with far less vibration and stuff going on.
What do the gains do, is it something to do with volume of input from the MC to the motors??
So too much input equals too much correction equals unstableness. Less gain equals smoother flight. This is sort of how autopilots work on boats.

The basics gains thats how "aggressive" the FC responds to unblances, if too high the FC will over react and oscillate, if too low it will tend to drift.

Usually we set the roll and pitch the same, between 100 and 150 for a F450, the yaw its better to keep it low, like 100, and the aLtitude its often between 100 and 140, can tweak this one by making hard 180° banks and see for wich value it keeps the height the best.

The attitude gains thats more like a dual-rate, I guess in the software that's a multiplier for the stick inputs, and a damper when you release these. Frequent values are often between 80 and 120, depending of taste, and how you like your copter, alive or smooth.

Now in the latest DJI software there's an "advanced" mode with different fields and I think so far only DJI knows what's going there...

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatbutcher

In the mean time, I've cobbled together a cheap make-shift gimbal by just sticking a few servos together and running it off the Naza. Considering the cost (ie, zero, just a couple of spare servos) I'm pretty happy with the results.https://vimeo.com/69944033

I like this design, with rubbers and servos, old school !
And hurray for kites, we got kites too, deltas, foils, etc, can attach Gopros there aswell, short bit of video from last summer :

/QUOTE=fatbutcher;25542200]Better explained than my effort, but the same understanding.

Love the kite mounted video, something I've been meaning to try, along with about a hundred other ideas![/QUOTE]
140/140/140/130 90/90 Seems to be the sweet spot for me. There is an Excel Sheet with alot of gains/ weights/engines used/ ESC used/ Lipo in here I'll dig out and post. Gains= Personal Preference.

Gain Setting Chart

Excellent guys, at least now I know what the gain settings are doing and almost certainly they are the cause of my instability (in the 550 that is )
Looks like my settings are way too high. Just upgrades to 2:14 so will adjust and check everything while connected. Zac, that spreadsheet has a lot of info, thanks.

Looks like that Go Pro Black I was eyeing will have to Come to Daddy soon

It's not always possible but, adjusting, balancing and setting up your multi-copter in Manual Mode gives you "real-time" parameters to deal with and adjust. IMHO it is a great way to set-up the Drone, there's no lying in manual mode, nothing is getting masked with the auto pilot settings, adjust each of your gains until oscillation occurs and back-off a few notches. Switch to GPS and fine tune your gains to your preference. I found this works the best, Lots of people switch to manual mode and their Drone tilts, drops, rises, flips over because electronics were slapped on it, battery was placed wherever there was room, etc, etc, and the gains were set up until the auto pilot compensates for these impetuous actions. Be careful and fly safe. Set Up is everything.

I'm a real newbie at this but I have always wondered about doing setup in manual mode (but never had the courage to try). It certainly makes sense since problems with CG and motor problems, etc. would be easier to see. The question I have is: Are the gain settings active in manual mode? I always assumed that manual mode was TOTALLY manual - not even active gyros. That is why I have avoided manual mode.

Manual FM & Gains

Quote:

Originally Posted by W5HYN

I'm a real newbie at this but I have always wondered about doing setup in manual mode (but never had the courage to try). It certainly makes sense since problems with CG and motor problems, etc. would be easier to see. The question I have is: Are the gain settings active in manual mode? I always assumed that manual mode was TOTALLY manual - not even active gyros. That is why I have avoided manual mode.

Just wondering what kind of fly times you are getting and what battery you are using?
thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoboi

Well I just finished redoing my landing gear with the new LG and also use some parts of the old LG for the gimbal support. The new H3-2D gimbal seem to be working flawlessly it does make a weird sound like rushing air is that Normal? Beats that high pitch sound the arris made..... Here are a few pics from my phone too lazy to get the big camera out..LOL Tomorrow Ill take her out to fly and see what this gimbal will do....

Thanks. This helps a lot - excellent analysis of gains. Now I will not be afraid to try manual mode. From reading all the info in your link(s) I gather that stabilization (gyros, accelerometers) is fully active in manual mode but auto leveling is not. Also ATT gains are not active in manual mode.